Tales of Eleven Grimmauld Place
by OrangeSodaSpill
Summary: What if there were three Evans sisters? What if they lived in Eleven Grimmauld Place? CHAPTER 20 UP! PG to be safe. If you have the time, please rr
1. Chapter 1

I was definitely an outsider. My Cornish accent and I always got made fun of. People never thought twice about getting to know me. Until Sirius Black came along.  
  
It was a rainy, foggy, miserable morning. I was sitting out on the porch steps because I loved to watch the rain. If I stayed out long enough I might be able to catch a glimpse of a rainbow. I curiously looked over at number twelve. It was pretty gloomy looking. I wonder who lives there?, I thought to myself, and a split second later a boy about my age ran out of the house.  
  
He had black hair that was long enough to fall in his face. His blue eyes shone through the gloom of the day.  
  
He didn't stop running after he got off the porch steps. He ran and ran, and ran, and ran. Actually, I don't even remember seeing him stop. He just ran out of sight my suspicions following him.  
  
The sky shown no sign of giving up it's gloominess so I just headed back inside where it was warm and comforting.  
  
I didn't stop thinking about him until my mother came home from work. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were puffy as if she'd been crying the whole way home...  
  
"Mum, what's wrong?" I said approaching her.  
  
"Go get your sisters! Quick!" she replied, which wasn't what I wanted to hear but I followed her wishes anyway. I ran upstairs as fast as my numb toes would carry me.  
  
"Lily!!! Petunia!!!!" I shouted, "C'mon!! We're going somewhere!!!! Hurry up and let's get going!!" I ran into my twin sister, Lily's room where she was hurriedly pulling on a pair of thick woolen socks.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked, a note of panic in her voice.  
  
"I don't know." I gave her the only answer I had. When I looked into her eyes I knew she was thinking the same thing I was thinking, it couldn't be anything good. 


	2. Chapter 2

Our shabby old car sped along the highway. We were stuck in a little piece of crap that looked like it could fall apart at any moment.  
  
I had never seen mum drive so fast in her entire life. This had to be something extremely bad. I exchanged a look with Lily that told me she was about to get carsick. Lily was never very good with cars.  
  
Petunia sat on the other side of Lily, staring out of her window watching the rain splatter the window. She seemed very quiet. She hadn't talked to Lily and I the entire day.  
  
So here we were, three ten year olds, squeezed into the back of a car that was about to fall to pieces. Our mum driving like a maniac.  
  
After about another twenty minutes of driving we came to a screeching halt outside of an alley with a vandalized phone booth at the end. Mum practically tipped our car over as she was frantically getting out. She ran to the end of the alley and into the phone booth. We all followed our crazed mother.  
  
She dialed in a number and hit the star that was at the bottom. The booth was slowly going down, sinking into the earth.  
  
When the booth stopped we were staring into a long entranceway with fireplaces lined up along each wall. There was a giant fountain of water at the end with a wizard, witch, little elf, centaur, and goblin in it.  
  
"Mum where are-" I started to ask mum.  
  
"Hush, Laurel!" she snapped at me.  
  
Fine, I thought, be crabby about it.  
  
Mum ran down the long entrance way and to a man standing by a booth, like the ones you see in the bobby's office, looking very grim.  
  
"Cartie!!! Is it true? Are the rumors true?" she said in the fastest voice I have ever heard her speak with.  
  
He looked down at his highly polished shoes, "Yes, Evans, it's true."  
  
My mother turned stalk white. I thought she had died for a second, but her eyes started welling with tears. 


	3. Chapter 3

When we got home...Actually, it's a surprise we did because mum was driving like a nut case through her watery eyes, she told us all to sit down and we all took a seat on the couch.  
  
"Your-your-" she breathed in really hard, "Your father is dead."  
  
I think it was my turn to become stalk white. My eyes filled with a sea of tears. Petunia ran off to her room. Lily seemed incapable of moving.  
  
I found myself in the black-haired boy's shoes.  
  
I ran out the door and down the porch steps. Rain was falling terribly hard now but I barely noticed. All I knew was me and running. The pavement was scratching at my feet where my shoes were falling apart, rain pounded against my head, and my eyes were getting cold because of the tears in them. Did I notice? No.  
  
After running awhile, I collapsed onto my knees. I sobbed into the thickness of my father's sweater that he let me wear before leaving for work.  
  
It smelled exactly like him. Hand rolled cigars, a little aroma of whisky. This was my father. All that was left of him.  
  
I cried and cried and cried. I don't think I was capable of doing more. I was starting to feel weak, vulnerable, exhausted.  
  
I think I feel asleep there, because when I next opened my eyes I was lying on a bench in the park close by. Someone must have moved me there.  
  
I then remembered the events of last night. I rolled over on the bench and lost yesterday's lunch to the ground. I turned over and wiped my mouth. It must be early morning, because the stars were still out.  
  
It took a lot of effort for me to get up, but I eventually did. I walked very slowly with my hands in the sweater's pockets. I was headed towards home, but it felt like I would never get there.  
  
I thought of all the things we did together. Like going to Egypt to see the pyramids, going to America for one of my father's work trips, and just laughing with him.  
  
It pained me to think this but at least he's in a better place now. I had to face it, he was gone. Forever. 


	4. Chapter 4

When I arrived at the front of my house I just stood there and looked at it for a second.  
  
There was Lily, her red hair, that her and I shared, standing out against the white paint of the house, sitting in the window seat staring off into space. I could see Petunia, up on her bed, reading a book. Is this how my house was going to be now? It looked as if it felt our every emotion and reflected it.  
  
I clunked up the porch steps and stepped inside. Lily was still sitting at the window, but turned to look at me when I came in. She stood up and gave me a big hug. We stood there hugging for a good while. It was as though we were holding onto each other and could never let go in fear of loosing each other.  
  
Her tears dripped down onto my shoulder making it wet and cold. I could tell she was smelling daddy's sweater and remembering, remembering everything.  
  
Finally, mum came home from work looking exhausted, and not to mention dreadful.  
  
She turned on the stove and started making dinner.  
  
The house seemed to swell with warmth, it made our cold house seem welcoming and warm. It felt good.  
  
Petunia came down stairs, ignoring Lily and I's gaze. It was annoying. What was her problem anyway?  
  
About twenty minutes later we sat around the table slurping up our soup. All the laughter that engulfed our conversation was gone. Daddy's seat at the end of the table was eerily empty but still held him at the same time.  
  
So there we were, sitting in silence, eating and being depressed. That's when I realized tomorrow was Lily and I's eleventh birthday. 


	5. Chapter 5

Lily and I's birthday eve I had a very strange dream indeed. It kind of scared me when I woke up, but I barely noticed it when I was asleep.  
  
I was standing in a long, very long mind you, sunflower field. Rain was pouring from the sky as if it would never end. Lightning flashed in the sky. I was all alone.  
  
Sure.  
  
A dark, hooded, and cloaked figure came looming up from behind a hill. I ran. Then I turned around and stopped. I could not run from him anymore.  
  
The man stopped a good ten feet in front of me and I could see red glowing eyes through the darkness. He drew a long stick of wood from his inside pocket and played with it between his fingers. Then he raised it high above his head and flung it back down crying the words "Avada Kedevra!" at the top of his lungs in a high squeaky voice.  
  
Then it all changed perspectives.  
  
I was looking from the body of a witness. A small man's frail body went limp and pale, it fell to the floor with a loud thud.  
  
I ran over to him. It was my father. He was dead.  
  
I woke up entangled in the covers, dripping with sweat and tears. My hair was askew and I looked over to find Lily tossing and turning jerkily in her sleep.  
  
Then something else caught my eye. There was a small brown owl tapping at the lowest pane of my window. There was a letter in his beak and he was tapping with one of his miniscule claws.  
  
I hurridley untangled myself and ran to the window. I pushed it open and he flew in and landed humbly on my bed. He dropped the letter and flew out again.  
  
I immediately ran for the letter, only to find there were two.  
  
One said:  
  
Lily Evans  
  
11 Grimmauld Place  
  
Farthest Bedroom  
  
Bed on the Right  
  
The other said:  
  
Laurel Evans  
  
11 Grimmauld Place  
  
Farthest Bedroom  
  
Bed on the Left 


	6. Chapter 6

I hurriedly opened the letter with 'Laurel Evans' on the front.  
  
Once I opened it I found a letter written in beautiful emerald ink.  
  
Dear Ms Evans,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Term starts September 1st. Enclosed is your ticket for Platform 9 3/4 and a list of supplies you will need. We will be expecting an owl back by August 29th.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagll  
  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
I rushed over to Lily's bed and shook her awake.  
  
"Lily! Lily! Wake up!"  
  
She half-opened her eyes and said, "Whaddayawan?"  
  
"You have to read this letter!" I thrust the letter bearing her name on it at her. As slow as a snail she started to open it. I grabbed it and opened it fast, "Here!"  
  
She began to read it when she propped herself upright and her eyes grew big.  
  
Then she smiled, "What's this all about Laurel?"  
  
"I'm not tricking you! Look I have one just like it!" and I showed her my letter.  
  
"Whatever, I'm going back to bed."  
  
"Oh no you aren't!" I grabbed her arm and pulled her out of bed. I dragged her up the hall to Mum's bedroom. I shook mum awake and sat down on her bed. She looked up at me, said, "What?" and closed her eyes half way.  
  
"Mum! An owl delivered these letters to Lily and I's bedroom and you have to read it!" But before I could even give her the letter she smiled. Tears of happiness welled in her eyes and she embraced me then she beckoned Lily to her and hugged her.  
  
What was mum playing at?  
  
"Oh girls," she sobbed, "I'm so proud of you! We need to head straight for Diagon Alley tomorrow! So much to buy! Well, get back to sleep girls, you need some rest! Tomorrow will be a big day!" 


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Lily shook me awake, fully dressed and ready to go. Where we were going? I had no clue.  
  
"Laurel!! Laurel!!! Wake up!!!" she cried happily.  
  
"Why?" I said trying to turn over to get away from her shrieks. Unfortunately my blankets were half strangling me.  
  
"We get to go- well- I don't really know but it's exciting!!!"  
  
She literally dragged me out of bed and almost made me fall on my behind. She shoved a shirt and a pair of jeans in my face then ran out of the room slamming the door behind her. I pulled on the clothes and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail. Just as I was trying to get a piece of fruit out of the fridge Lily came over and tugged me towards the fireplace.  
  
Mom was standing there with Petunia.  
  
"You get to go first Lor!!"  
  
"Get to go where first?"  
  
"To Diagon Alley!!"  
  
"To Dia- what?"  
  
"Diagon Alley dear!! Come on, take a handful of this and throw it in the fire!" I did as I was told and threw the glittering powder into the flickering flames. They turned a bright shade of green and flickered a little higher.  
  
"Now step in an-"  
  
"WHAT?" Mum was obviously going mad. I would burn to death!  
  
"It's Floo Powder!! It can transport you anywhere you want to go! Now step in and say 'Diagon Alley'!"  
  
I hesitated and walked towards the fire. If I was burned to death I would haunt mom forever. I put my foot over the grate and into the flame. A warm tickling sensation engulfed my foot. I looked back at mum and she urged me on. I stepped fully in and cried "Diagon Alley!" I was spinning and spinning through a vast area of nothingness. 


	8. Chapter 8

THUNK.  
  
My body landed with a loud thud as it hit the grate of a filthy looking pub full to bursting with women with tall pointy hats reading strange newspapers and magazines and men talking and mumbling about who knows what. No one seemed to notice that an eleven-year old girl had just come swirling out of the fireplace.  
  
I stood up and brushed the ashes off my clothes and stepped away from the grate. This was an amazingly smart thing to do as Lily flounced out of the fireplace next.  
  
"Mum and Petunia are coming soon." she said, a happy little note in her voice. Personally, I didn't see what was so great about traveling through a fireplace just to get to some filthy little bar full of strange people.  
  
Moments later Petunia arrived and after her came mum.  
  
Mum just stood up as if none of this was new and led us to a very tiny courtyard holding nothing but a brick wall and a trashcan. She walked over to the trashcan, lifted the lid, reached in and took put a long, thin, stick of wood. She tapped some bricks above the trashcan and threw the piece of wood back in.  
  
To Lily, Petunia, and I's surprise the wall seemed to melt away. After we got over the shock we noticed that it opened up to a colorful alley full of shops and cafes and everything else in between. At the end of the seemingly never ending alignment of shops was a giant marble building that read "Gringotts". This was all to amazing to take in as strange as it was, this place was actually quite beautiful.  
  
"Welcome to Diagon Alley girls!" Mum said happily. When I looked over at her I could see the twinkle of happiness in her eyes. They hadn't looked like that since daddy died. "Come on," she said and we followed her down the array of shops to the wonderful marble building. 


	9. Chapter 9

"C'mon girls!" Mum exclaimed briskly, and headed down the lengthy street. Lily and I looked at each other, confused, while Petunia strode after mum. Lily swears she was adopted. A REAL Evans would have stopped to think. I shrugged to Lily and ran after mum, walking on the side Petunia was not.  
  
"Mum, what's going on?" I said, as people walked past us, I even heard someone say something that sounded like "Queer Ditz." I shook that thought out of my brain, and focused on what needed to be. Mum suddenly stopped in front of a very pink shop that had white outline over everything. The doors, the windows, the walls, EVERYTHING. There was a sign hanging from it that read "Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor." In large, wavy letters. "Some Ice Cream?" Mum asked.  
  
Now I knew mom WAS going mad. Ice cream, at seven o'clock in the morning?  
  
"Sure!" Lily said, and walked into the shop. I shrugged to Petunia, who just stood there with that horsey look on her face. I followed Lily, and Petunia followed me.  
  
A bell above the door of the shop clinked softly as we walked in. The interior of the building was completely white with pink lining. I thought the color scheme would drive me nuts, but then again, that's what I liked on my ice cream, anyway.  
  
There were about 50 canisters of ice cream behind the glass like there were in regular ice cream shops, but the ice cream flavors weren't as regular. There were pleasant flavors like Raspberry Chocolate Chunk, Cheesecake, Banana Meringue, Peppermint Humbug, and something called Every Flavor Beans. Then there were the unpleasant ones, like Hairy Hag (EWW!), Troll Boogies, and Wart Watermelon. I steered clear of those.  
  
We ordered our ice cream and sat at one of the covered tables outside.  
  
"So," Mum started, "Where do I begin...?" 


	10. Chapter 10

Mum spooned up some of her ice cream and slowly swallowed it. "The building we went to the other day, the one underground, was the Ministry of Magic."  
  
"The Ministry-?"  
  
"SHHH!" Lily demanded from the other side of the table. I took another spoon of ice cream and promptly shut my mouth.  
  
"Your father worked there. He was a wizard, but he was undercover as a muggle." At the look on her faces, she realized that she was saying a lot of stuff we didn't understand. "A non-magical person. He worked in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. That's why we were moving and vacationing all the time." That explained a lot. Not that going on vacation hadn't been fun, but we did it loads.  
  
Mum's voice dropped down to a whisper, "Your father was killed by an evil wizard, called...called...called Voldemort." The name sent shivers up and down my spine. "Your father had information he wanted, but your father would not give it to him. So Voldemort killed him."  
  
We were all silent for a moment.  
  
"But on a lighter note," Mum said, her expression brightening, "You two," she said, looking at Lily and I, "Have been excepted to Hogwarts!! You are witches!"  
  
Lily and I exchanged looks. "Hogwarts," Mum explained, plowing on, "Is a school for witches and wizards to learn spells and magic and potions!" I looked around, now that I thought about it, there was a lot of astonishing shops around. There was one selling robes, and way down the street where I was looking, was a shop selling flying brooms. It was called "Quality Quidditch Supplies" (whatever that was).  
  
Soon everyone was finished with their ice cream. Mum stood up and happily exclaimed, "Where do you girls want to start?" 


	11. Chapter 11

Lily and I looked at each other. "Where should we start?" I asked.  
  
"Well," Mom started, "No wizard can get anywhere without their wand. Why don't you girls head down to Ollivander's? It's down that way." She pointed down the street. "Petunia and I will stay here. We need to talk a little."  
  
"Um...alright!" Lily exclaimed, I felt one of her hyper spurts coming on. She started walking down the street and looked back at me. "Come on, Lor!" I quickly caught up with her. She was practically skipping. "Can you believe this? It's so amazing!"  
  
"Yeah, but...have you ever considered this might be a trick?"  
  
"Trick? Lor, we were at the Ministry of Magic!"  
  
"Okay, okay! I'll go along with it for now." Lily rolled her eyes at me. We were walking slow, so we could catch a glimpse of everything. I turned my head to look across the street and saw someone I hadn't expected to.  
  
It was the black haired boy. He looked over about the same time I did. Our eyes met. He turned to the boy he was walking with, who had jet-black hair and glasses. He obviously said something about me because the boy with glasses looked over at me. Two can play this game. I turned to Lily.  
  
"Hey," I said, "See that black haired boy with blue eyes across the street? Not the one with glasses, but the other."  
  
"Yeah," she said.  
  
"He's our neighbor!"  
  
"Oh, come off it!"  
  
"No, really!"  
  
"Look, he's coming over!" And he was, he was strutting across the street. Not like I had seen him run earlier. He finally made it over, weaving between the throngs of people. "Hey," he asked in a friendly voice, "You're the girl who passed out on the sidewalk aren't you?"  
  
Lily gave me a look. I stepped on her foot as a signal not to say anything.  
  
"Um, yeah." I said, suddenly embarrassed. "Were you there?"  
  
"I was the one who moved you to the park bench." I was surprised at this, because he looked a little scrawny.  
  
"Oh, well, thanks I guess!" He stuck out his hand.  
  
"I'm Sirius Black, by the way."  
  
"Nice to finally know your name Sirius, I'm Laurel Evans and this is my sister, Lily." He looked over at Lily, just realizing she was there.  
  
"Oh, so you two are twins?" He said while shaking my hand, his was soft and warm. We both nodded our heads at the same time. The boy across the street was waving his arms in the air.  
  
"Well, I've got to go. That's my friend James by the way. Nice meeting you!" He walked back across the street.  
  
I couldn't help but notice that that James bloke kept looking at Lily. 


	12. Chapter 12

Lily and I proceeded down the street. "So, you passed out on the sidewalk, and he just picks you up and takes you to the park?" Lily exclaimed, she was getting a bit hysterical. I nodded. I wanted to add, "The day that Daddy died." But she seemed not to have that on her mind.  
  
"That is so romantic!" she cried, getting all mushy.  
  
"Lily, it's not 'romantic'! He might have gorgeously deep blue eyes...but nothing was romantic!"  
  
"Did you like pass out into his arms or something?" she said, wanting all the details.  
  
"No, Lily!" she was starting to annoy me by now, "He wasn't even there when I passed out!! He's our neighbor for goodness sake!!"  
  
"Yes, our very cute neighbor!"  
  
"Lily, just drop it okay?" I pictured the boy with the glasses, James, staring at Lily, "Oh, well, what about that James bloke? He seemed to think you were very interesting." Lily blushed.  
  
"He looked like a jerk. One of those pompous, cocky, jocks."  
  
"Lily, pompous and cocky is the same thing."  
  
"Shut up!" she cried and lightly punched me in the arm, "Okay, how about we both drop those boys?"  
  
"I knew you'd give in." I said smiling.  
  
We stopped in front of an old shop with a faded purple cushion in the big display window. On it was a long, worn, torn up stick of wood. The big sign over the door said:  
  
"Ollivanders: Maker of Find Wands Since 382 B.C."  
  
"382 B.C.? That was a long time ago."  
  
"Yeah it was, nearly 1,380 years ago." Lily was always good at math. She was only eleven, and could solve almost any math problem in less than 5 seconds. I was always better in science. I especially liked studying space and the stars. Math was my downfall.  
  
"So," I said, "Do you want to go in?" The place looked a bit creepy.  
  
"Sure," she said, and pulled open the door. A tiny, rusted, little bell gave a feeble ring and then started coughing. It startled me, but then I remember that I was in a place full of magic.  
  
"Lily! Mum didn't give us any money!" I whispered, I suddenly felt I had to be quiet.  
  
"She slipped me these before we left." She put her hand in her pocket and drew out a large handful of bronze, silver, and gold coins. We both heard the sound of wheels rolling on wood and looked over to see a man sliding toward us on one of those rolling ladders. "Good morning ladies!" He said in an eerie, scratchy, creepy voice. He had wiry gray hair that stuck out at every angle, his eyes were silver and the pupils were shaped like moons.  
  
"Good morning, sir." I said, still a little freaked out.  
  
"You've come here for a wand, have you not?"  
  
"If that's what you sell here, that's what the sign says."  
  
"Yes, yes, indeed!" The man looked up towards the ceiling where shelves were still covered with long boxes. He reached up and grabbed a shabby, worn, scarlet box and pulled it down. Then he scurried down the stairs and ran to the front counter. "You," he said pointing to me, "Laurel, come here." Lily and I exchanged looks, how did this guy know my name? I walked slowly toward him, and he opened the box's lid. A beautiful, shiny, dark piece of wood sat among the tissue papers. It was almost red. It had a curved handle with a beautiful swirled pattern.  
  
"Pick it up!" the man cried, I jumped, "Give it a wave!" I picked the wand up, and I felt a warm sensation go through my fingers and it flowed into my arms and to the rest of me. I flourished it and waved it and a flow of sparkly silver sparks protruded from the tip.  
  
"Oh, nice match! Mahogany, Unicorn Tail Hair, 13 and a half inches." cried the man, who I figured his name was Mr.Ollivander. He snatched the wand from my hand and put it back in the box. "14 sickles and 3 knuts.  
  
"Lily hand me some of that money." I said. She stuck her hand in her packet and pulled it out and laid it in my hand.  
  
"Okay," I asked Mr.Ollivander, "Which one is which?" He pointed to the silver coins.  
  
"Those are sickles." I picked out fourteen of the medium sized silver ones. "Those are knuts." He said, pointing to the little bronze ones. I picked out three. "And those are Galleons." He said pointing to the big gold ones. I handed him the coins I picked out and it was Lily's turn.  
She stepped up and Mr. Ollivander pulled down a box. She waved the wand, nothing. He picked out another, nothing. We sat there for about twenty minutes. Lily waved what must have been the thirtieth wand. A beam of swirling rainbow colored ligt filled the room, and nearly blinded me. The beam dwindled away.  
  
"Nice choice, Ms. Evans!" Mr. Ollivander cried. "10 and a quarter inches long, Pheonix Feather, Willow. Good for Charm work. 13 sickles and 5 knuts." I helped Lily sort out the coins, and she handed them to him. We said thank you, and left the shop. The little bell coughed. 


	13. Chapter 13

We spent the rest of the day looking through all of the magnificent, amazing shops. I didn't see Sirius again, but Lily kept badgering me about him. Petunia just sulked along; giving us weird looks as if we had fifth heads and twice as many arms as we should have. At the end of the day we were all exhausted and Lily and I's spirits were a little higher.  
  
It was only a couple of days until we left for the train station to go to Hogwarts, and Lily and I were both anticipating it, though neither of said anything. Only a couple days would pass before we would find out if this were some big joke, a big letdown.  
  
September first started sunny and beautiful. The sky was as blue as robin's eggs and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Lily woke me up at about six 'o' clock all excited and jumpy. "Can you believe we're actually leaving today? I'm kind of glad, I'm sick of Petunia giving us dirty looks all day."  
  
"Yeah," I said, looking out the window as the sun rose. I still was thinking this could be a trick. "Are you all packed?" I asked Lily. She threw a book in her trunk on top of all of her clothes and kicked the lid closed.  
  
"Now I am." She said, and got dressed in a hurry. I did the same.  
  
We were almost late for the train. We got there at 10:45. Mum stopped us near a big barrier between 9 and 10. She told us to run through.  
  
I thought being told to jump into fire was crazy. "Just run!" she shouted at me. Once again, I had to go first. I grabbed my cart, took a deep breath and ran straight at the wall. I expected to hear a big crash, but I felt a smooth, windy feeling and next I opened my eyes I was standing underneath a sign that read "Platform 9 ¾". Lily came, and then mum. Petunia decided to stay home.  
  
The platform was filled with parents waving goodbye to their children who were sticking their heads out of the window. I spotted James, but I couldn't tell whom he was talking to, or see Sirius.  
  
"Ok," Mum started drilling us, "Have a good summer, don't get yourselves into trouble, I'll miss you, I love you, now GO!" she shouted, and told both of us goodbye and hurried us onto the train. We dragged our trunks around looking for a compartment. The only one that was empty enough to occupy us was at the very back. There was a boy about our age sitting in it, fast asleep. Lily was entering first, and she motioned for me to be quiet. We set our trunks down on the floor and sat down. The train was already moving.  
  
The boy looked extremely tired. He had an open book in his lap, and dirty blonde hair. There was a third trunk on the ground that read "R.J. LUPIN".  
  
"Goodness, I hope we don't wake this bloke up, Lily." I whispered  
  
"I know, we just have to stay quiet."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
The door of the compartment slid open with a big crash. I winced and looked over at the boy. He was still fast asleep. Then I looked over at the door, Sirius and James were standing there.  
  
James had spotted Lily. He turned cool, calm, and collected, which did not seem a very James thing to do. "Hey!" he flashed Lily a million dollar smile. She looked out the window. He frowned. Well, even if he was a jerk, it didn't give me a right to be impolite.  
  
"Hello James, Sirius." I said nodding in each of their directions.  
  
"Hey", they both said in unison. "Who's this?" Sirius asked, pointing to the boy. I pointed to his trunk.  
  
"R.J. Lupin. Please try not to wake him up."  
  
"Why not?" James asked, "He was back here all alone before you two came wasn't he?" I said yes, and was about to say something to keep him from doing something stupid, but he was already going on. "Then it seems like he needs some friends." He walked over to the boy and shook his shoulder.  
  
"James!" Lily said suddenly and out of nowhere, "This guy was obviously sleeping because he's tired, and he's obviously in the back compartment so he won't be bothered! Leave him alone!"  
  
James shrugged, "Fine, have it your way then. If this bloke ends up with no friends, I'll tell him that it was your fault anyway."  
  
"Laurel and I will make sure he has friends. And they'll be us and you two wether you like it or not."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine." James turned around and walked away, like nothing had happened, but the way he kept his head down told me he was fuming with anger. Sirius watched him go, then turned back to us.  
  
"Talk to you later, then?"  
"Definitely." I said.  
  
"But next time, leave your jerk of a friend out of it." Lily said, fuming the same way James had been. 


	14. Chapter 14

A plump lady with a trolley full of sweets came along about half way through the ride. "Would you like anything dears?" Mum had given us each a pouch full of coins and we bought at least one of everything from the cart. We sat some chocolate and other sugary treats by the boy for when he woke up.

We were sitting there talking and eating our sweets. Our voices were pretty loud (well, at least higher than a whisper). We had realized that this boy was a very heavy sleeper he had surpassed James and Sirius, Lily and I, the food trolley lady, and the jerky movements of the train.

The candy was stranger than any I had ever seen. I was expecting normal candy, but we got Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pastries, Licorice Wands, Fizzing Whizbees, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.

I liked the gum the best. It blew bubbles bigger than Lily and I's heads put together. I had to take them out of my mouth and pop it with my quill to get it to burst. We were giggling and talking and eating when a man's voice came resounding throughout the train. "We are about 10 minutes away from Hogwarts, please leave your trunks on the train. They will be delivered to your dormitories during the feast. Thank you."

"I guess that means we should probably put our robes on then?" Lily asked.

"Hmm...I guess so." We opened our trunks and pulled out our plain black robes. "We should probably wake R.J. Lupin up too."

"Oh, right." Lily walked over to him, and slightly poked his shoulder. "Excuse me," she said as the boy slowly woke up. "Hi!" Lily said when he opened his eyes completely. "I'm Lily Evans, I just thought I'd let you know that we're about to arrive at Hogwarts."

"Oh, thank you!" he said, "I can't believe it's time to get off already!" He pulled his robes on over his clothes and thanked us again.

"And those are for you." I pointed to the sweets on his seat.

"Thank you! I love chocolate. Well, I've got to go find someone! Thank you!" he waved and left the compartment.

When we stopped, there were older students leaving the train with a crest sewn on their robes. We fretted that we had gotten the wrong robes. But when a large man called all first years over to him, we noticed that none of our peers had them either. That made us feel better.

Lily and I were both filled to bursting with excitement. "I wonder what Petunia's doing now, Lor?"

"I don't know Lily, but it can't even be close to as exciting as this."

"Mum's probably spoiling her now, or talking about us constantly. Either way, she's probably about ready to explode."

"You're probably right."

The first years were now the only people left on the platform at Hogsmeade Station (at least that's what the sign said where we were at). The rest of the students had gotten on some horseless carriages and rode away in to the distance. The large man's booming voice filled the still night air.

"Follow me!" The man walked to the edge of a large lake, where a tiny fleet of boats was floating serenely on the sky reflecting water. "Four to a boat!" he cried, "And try not to tip them over!"

Lily and I climbed into one floating on the edge, Sirius and James appeared and climbed into the boat after us. Lily sat up front and James sat in back.


	15. Chapter 15

It was very comical, actually, watching Lily and James. Sirius and I sat in the middle, turning first to Lily, then to James. James sat there, looking Lily from about a million different perspectives. First right, then left, up, then down, as if to see if the light hit Lily's hair in a different way. Occasionally Lily would turn around and glare at James, at which he would turn around and seem occupied.

Eventually, we got to the opposite shore. The castle that was Hogwarts was nestled right in front of us. There were lights scattered around in various windows (which there were hundreds of). I was in so much awe that I couldn't say a word. All Lily said was "Wow!"

We all climbed out of the boats, walked across the grounds, and stood in front of the doors behind the large man. I had to crane my neck back all the way to see his face, which I stopped doing after a while because it hurt. "Welcome to Hogwarts!" He boomed over the crowd of first years. He then opened the doors to reveal a magnificent Entry Hall with statues and paintings and students everywhere. I thought I might never leave. The man led us to the side of the hall while the other students milled into the adjoining double doors carved out of beautiful oak wood.

A stern, stone-faced woman approached us, she looked rather kind, but besides that showed no emotion whatsoever. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall. The sorting will take place in a few moments. Please wait here I will come for you when we're ready."

Now, by this time, I was kind of getting sick of being told 'Welcome to Hogwarts!' and the nerves started kicking in. Sorting? What in the world was that? They make us sound like marbles, blue, red, green or orange, hmmm... Which one could they be?

I looked nervously over at Lily. She seemed a little disheveled about this whole sorting thing too, but she kept her cool.

We waited for Professor McGonagall to return. No one really talked, except James, who kept whispering to Sirius, a small pudgy kid, and the boy from the train. I think it was that night that their friendship really started. After what seemed an eternity, Professor finally came back with a stool and a ragged old hat and led us through the grand double doors. There were four tremendously long tables, with students everywhere. They were all sitting down, but it seemed like there were twice as many than there were when the walked into the hall.

We were lead to the front of the room, in front of everyone. I thought I could feel millions of holes being drilled into me, for all eyes were on us. McGonagall sat the stool on the ground in front of the long table at the top of the hall where the entire faculty sat; she then sat the hat atop it, and pulled a roll of parchment from her robes. She reproached us and said, "I will call out your name, then you will come, sit on the stool. Then you will put the hat on and be sorted into your house. There are four houses." She started to point to each different table while saying each house. "Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." Then she stood next to stool and unrolled the parchment.

The nervousness died down a bit, but was definitely still there. What would the hat do? What if Lily and I were split in to different houses? To many unanswered questions.

"Ackerly, Timothy!" Was McGonagall's first victim. He looked a rather snooty character, with light brown hair and a smirk, seemingly plastered on his face. He was sorted into Slytherin, which looked the perfect bunch for him.

A couple of other students walked up and were sorted. I was lost in my thoughts and worries, so I wasn't paying attention. I believe they were sorted into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

"Black, Sirius" cried the Professor. Sirius walked to the stool with pride and promise, I doubted I would look that confident. He sat down, and put the hat on his head. Nothing happened for a couple minutes, but he was finally sorted into Gryffindor. His eyes were wide open with shock when he took the Sorting Hat off, but he regained his composure easily.

Curr, Jacob was sorted into Ravenclaw, and DeStille, Gretchen into Gryffindor.

"Evans, Laurel!" My legs were as wobbly as Mum's jell-o and I felt glued to the spot. Lily gave me an impatient push from behind, and I was on my way to the stool. When I grabbed the hat, my hands were shaking. I barely avoided dropping it. I managed to place it on top of my head, the rim flopped lazily over my eyes.

"Oh, think I'm lazy do you?" A little voice murmured inside my head.

"No," I thought back, "Just floppy."

"How is that much better? Anyway, on with this business!"

"Yes, I really would like to be sorted today."

"Pushy little thing aren't you? Your father was the same way."

I suddenly felt angry. How dare he mention my father? "Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore. He's gone."

"Hmm, well I think I'd save that story for another day. But for now...GRYFFINDOR!"

I took off the hat, relieved that I got through this whole business alive. I set the hat back down and nearly skipped over to Gryffindor table. The whole lot of them were clapping and cheering and it felt really great.

Lily was next and I was just about biting off my nails the same amount for her as I was for me. It only seemed to take her a couple seconds to be placed into Gryffindor as well. I clapped and cheered like everyone else, and by the beaming smile on her face, she was absolutely ecstatic.

A/N: Sorry that it took me forever to write this chapter...I've been really busy but I hope you like it!


	16. Chapter 16

As it turns out, James, Remus (the boy on the train; I learned his name at the feast), and Peter (the other boy) were all sorted into Gryffindor as well. I could imagine Remus and James, but Peter seemed a rather cowardly boy. The hat can't always be perfect right?

After the sorting was the most magnificent feast. The food literally just popped out of thin air! Plus it was delicious, probably one of the best meals I'd had in a long while. Everyone was talking, and laughing. James, Sirius, and Remus really hit it off. They were probably the loudest people of the whole table. Peter just sort of seemed like a tag along.

Molly Turner, a third year girl with hair that was more red than Lily and mine's put together, introduced herself. She was so nice and motherly. Thin as a twig though. We also met Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost. Ghost! Can you believe it? They were all twinkling and silver. There was also the Bloody Baron, with silvery-white blood everywhere (Slytherin), The Fat Friar, a chubby monk (Hufflepuff), and the Grey Lady, a sorry looking woman (Ravenclaw).

After the feast, the two prefects for Gryffindor, Samuel Reed and Katie Westin, lead us up to the common room. All the way up to the sixth floor, there were moving pictures everywhere. Moving! I was so amazed I could hardly speak. There were all kinds of paintings from blushing brides, to noble nights in the most silver of armor. At the last stairwell there was a picture of a very large lady in a pink dress that appeared to be sleeping. Samuel Reed yelled, "Wake up!" to her very loudly. The rest of us silenced.

The Fat Lady jerked out of her sleep, still drowsy. "What?!"

"Good Evening!"

"Yes, it would have been a better evening if I was still sleeping!"

"Yeah, Yeah, Anno Domini!"

"Fine!" The lady cried. Her picture swung open, almost hitting the two prefects in the face, I'm not sure, but I think I might have heard a giggle from the other side of the painting. Once her portrait had cleared away, it revealed a large round hole. Everyone clambered in (I believe a couple people stumbled right out on the other side, I heard about a couple of bruises).

Lily stumbled through, and I followed after. I managed to get through in one piece, and was very proud of myself.

The common room was absolutely amazing in a home-like comfortable and cozy way. I know that sounds way girlish but it was true. There was fire crackling in the fireplace at the end of the room; there were armchairs everywhere, and beautifully carved wooden tables with matching chairs scattered among them. It was the first time in what seemed like eternity that I felt truly content and at home.

Now if the common room wasn't something, than the dormitories sure were. We found our way to the First Year girl's room with the help of Katie. It was a big round place with a big old-fashioned iron stove in the middle. There were five four-poster beds carved out of maple with velvet, scarlet hangings. There was another door on the other side of the room. It was like being in the middle of a theater set. It felt so unreal, yet so comforting. My trunk was in front of the bed on the far left side. I noticed Lily's on the near right side. I walked over to my bed. I opened the hangings and sat down.

"Lily this is so great!" She seemed at a loss of words but replied anyway.

"And something besides soup for dinner!" I giggled. I knew Lily meant no disrespect to our mum, but we had soup almost every night.

I gasped. "Oh my gosh! I think the mattresses are down!"

"No way!" she walked to her bed and felt. "They are! And the comforter to!"

"This is like a dream."

I heard footsteps clunking up the spiral staircase leading to the hall of girl's dormitories. Someone opened the door, and two more girls walked in. I noticed them from the feast, and said hi. One girl came over to me.

"I remember you two from the feast! I don't think we've been formally introduced yet, though. I'm Tina Wood. This is my friend Cecilia. " She said pointing to the other girl.

"Nice to meet you Tina and Cecilia, I'm Laurel, and that's my sister Lily." Tina turned around.

"Whoa, there are two of you!"

There was a tiny tap tapping on the stairs and the door slowly creaked open, a small head poked around the side. The girl had coconut brown hair, and eyes that were pale blue and shining like ocean water. She stepped fully in. She was very short, and seemed a little nervous, or maybe just shy.

"Is this the first year dorm?"

"Sure is!" cried Tina, she was loud, but she seemed like a generally nice person.

The girl stepped all the way in and sat down on the bed that wasn't taken. We were all here.

"I'm Tina, and this is my friend Cecilia." She said in a perky hyper voice.

"And I'm Lily Evans, and that's my sister Laurel."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Demi Finnigan." She seemed a little more comfortable now that she knew where she belonged. Suddenly her eyes grew wide, "Hey, your father was killed a couple weeks ago wasn't he?"

I choked up. How did Demi know and why did she care anyway? Was it really her business? Luckily, Lily kept a cooler head than I did.

"Umm, yeah."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"How did you know?" I butted in, hoping I didn't sound rude.

"Daily Prophet." She must have seen the quizzical looks on our faces, because she continued. "Wizarding newspaper. Actually," she started to rummage in the messenger bag at her side, "I have that issue here in my bag. She got up and handed it to me.

There was a small article in the corner of the second page that read:

**MINISTRY OFFICIAL KILLED IN TRAGIC ATTACK.**

I read on:

_Early last Tuesday night, Richard Evans, from the Department of Mysteries, went missing. A few select wizards had seen the dark mark floating over a farmer's field near Cornwall. As soon as reports started flowing in, the Ministry acted. They found the man's body and immediately extracted it from the scene. More news will follow shortly._

There was a small picture of the field. The scary thing was, it was the exact same field from the dream I had two nights after we got the news.


	17. Chapter 17

I showed the article to Lily and she read it with a shocked and confused look. I was worried that she might have an emotional breakdown or something equally horrible. Luckily, she didn't, and kept the article. She quickly dressed into pajamas and went to bed, closing the hangings behind her.

I was really worried about her and I hoped she'd be okay. All the other girls followed after Lily, but I knew they weren't nearly as sad as her. Tina and Cecilia looked behind the door to find a huge bathroom with about ten toilets, tons of sinks, and quite a good bit of showers and bathtubs.

I went to bed just about as quickly as Lily. I felt tired while I was getting my pajamas, but as soon as I lay down, I felt wide-awake. I found this pretty amazing, on account of the huge feast in my stomach, but it was true. I waited until I heard even, slow breathes from the other girls. Once they came I crawled out of bed and onto the hardwood floors.

I crept over to the door and slowly opened it. It didn't creak, or make any loud noises. I wanted to kiss it.

Before I knew it, I was in the common room and then out the portrait hole. The corridors were dark, but my eyes had gotten used to the dark by now. I looked around, and somehow, Hogwarts seemed just as welcoming at night. There were paintings with people and animals and all sorts of things snoozing contently.

I skipped around the corner and before I knew it...WHAM! I ran straight into something and got knocked off my feet and onto the cold ground. I looked up to see what I had solidly collided with.

It was Sirius, he had jumped and turned in surprise. After he got over the initial shock, his face broke into a smile.

"You again!" he whispered.

"Yes," I said and struggled to get up, "Me again. What are you doing out this late?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Sneaking.

"What?"

"You asked me what I was doing so I told you!" He had a puzzled look on his face. "Unlike you, I am willing to freely admit that I am sneaking on account of the fact that I could not fall to sleep!"

"Oh, well, you sound like you're pretty set for yourself. I'll just be going now." He put his hands in the pocket of his jeans and strutted off down the hallway. I looked around, feeling very alone and defeated.

"Wait!" I ran after Sirius until I caught up with him.

"Scared, eh?"

"No, I'm not scared. I was just..."

"Scared?"

"No! You know what? Never mind!" I stormed off in the opposite direction. He thought he was so cool, and brave, did he? Well I'd show him!

I went down, down, down, about three flights of stairs then took a couple of turns. I had no idea where I was going, but I wanted to be as far away as possible from that...dog!

I ended up in front of a painting with a small golden plaque underneath it that said, "Barnabas the Barmy". He was snoozing contently, surrounded by a bunch of what appeared to be trolls in tutus. I started pacing, which was odd, because I don't usually pace. Then I started to think '_Geez, I wish there was a way I could contain my feelings without freaking out like I just did. Gosh I'm such a nerd._'

I stopped pacing and looked up. I looked at the wall opposite the painting and had to do a double take. A door had suddenly appeared. It was carved out of cherry oak and had awe-inspiring, gorgeous, flowing designs. Right near the crack between the floor and the bottom of the door there was a small piece of parchment and I bent over to pick it up. It read: 'Welcome to the Room of Requirement.'

I turned the doorknob and took a step inside. There was a room with hardwood floors and walls painted chartreuse green. There were two big windows on the back wall showing a bright sunny day with a beautiful blue sky. There was a big field below with a tiny stream flowing through it. There were trees all around and little squirrels, gorgeous red birds and butterflies everywhere. It was an illusion, since it was night, but it was a stunning illusion.

Around the other walls, there were oodles of all sorts of guitars. There were acoustic, electric, and bass of every color, size, and shape. There was a small shelf of books in the corner and a closet that opened to reveal a few shelves of cases. One shelf was labeled 'BASS', another 'ACOUSTIC', and 'ELECTRIC'. I closed the closet and picked up a book from the bookshelf. The cover read: 'Basic Chords for Beginning Guitar Players'. I opened it up and looked through the pages. The left page always had a drawing of the six strings and numbers on the strings showing which finger to play and what fret to play it in.

I grabbed a guitar from the wall and sat down in one of many chairs in the middle of the room and put the book on a spindly metal stand. I looked at some diagrams about how to hold the guitar properly and went to the first chord. It was called 'G' and I put my fingers in what I thought were the right frets. Then next chords were 'E minor', 'C', and 'D'. After these, there was a short tune that I thought was pretty nifty. I put the guitar back on the wall and the book back on its shelf.

I left the room with my heart feeling about ten times lighter.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So, hope you like the new chapter, and that you liked the change I made to Chapter 17. I like it muchbetter, but I hope you guys did too. Thanks to everyone who reviewed for keeping my morale up and God Bless!!!**

I made it back to the common room, I don't know how, but I did. I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. I crept up the stairs, into the dormitory, and straight into bed.

The next morning, our first full day at Hogwarts, was rainy, and damp, but not even the rain could crush my spirits today. This was the day I got to meet the teachers that I would have for the next seven years, and the classes, and all the new people. It was terribly exciting.

In the morning when we went down to breakfast, it wasn't nearly as crowded as it had seemed the night before. It seemed Hogwarts had a lot of late sleepers. Lily and I found a spot at the Gryffindor table next to Molly Turner and started grabbing at the bacon, sausage, and porridge.

"Hey, here's your schedule!" Molly turned to Lily who was closest to her and handed her two sheets of paper. She passed one to me and kept one for herself.

"Today we have Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Double Transfigurations, and Astronomy at eleven at night." Lily said.

"Tomorrow, we have Potions, Flying, Herbology, and History of Magic. It seems we alternate on each day of the week." I continued

"Yeah, flying! Can you believe it Lor?"

"No, I still can't believe it. It's probably wonderful to fly isn't it?

"I could only guess. Trans-fig-ur-ation..." Lily said sounding out the syllables. "That sounds a bit gruesome."

"Mmmhmm..." I said with my mouth full of eggs.

"We better get going. Charms starts at 8:00 and it's already 7:45 _and _we still have to find our way to the classroom." She stood up, put her bag over her shoulder, and started walking away. I swallowed my eggs and gulped down a glass of milk.

"Lilly! Wait up!" I said following suit.

Charms was interesting. The professor was a portly little man who wore a blue silk robe and a teeny pair of glasses right on the tip of his nose. Sometimes the spectacles got so close to the edge, I feared they would fall off. His name was Professor Tillandius and was very strange. He was rather skittish and very paranoid. The class was a challenging one (he had us starting the Alohomora charm straight away), but was still rather fun, on account of he didn't pay much attention and you could get away with a lot of stuff. Lily refused to mess around, but I didn't.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was pretty boring. We didn't do much and the teacher, Professor Gringe, just gave us a big lecture about watching our backs and being alert. I'd wondered if he'd been talking to Professor Tillandius lately.

Lunch was shoved in here, and James spent the whole time irritating Lilly. At one point, I thought she was going to punch him, but she kept her cool just like always. I wish I had that sort of calm.

Then was double Transfigurations. During the first half, Professor McGonagall lectured us about how difficult Transfiguration was and how if we didn't keep up, we'd fail her class. This was a bit unsettling, so I decided I'd be on the good side of her class. The second half, she set a paperclip on all of our desks and told us to change it into a safety pin. None of us succeeded, not even Lily.

Then there was dinner, more of the James-irritating-Lily-profusely show, but this time Sirius came up behind me and beckoned me to the very end of the table, where no one was sitting.

"So, how was your sneak last night?" he asked.

"Very well actually."

He seemed to want a more detailed response, but since I didn't give him one he continued on. "You were really sneaky."

"Well, that's kind of the point isn't it?"

"Of course," he said, thrown off by my remark. "Anyway, even when you stormed off, I couldn't hear a thing. You were like a mouse, but quieter. It was creepy."

"Really? Hmm, that's interesting."

"Yeah, so James, Remus, Peter and I were talking last night and we decided that we really like to play tricks, pranks, and jokes on people."

"So?"

"Soo..." he continued, "None of us are really that quiet, we're like elephants when we try to be quiet. So, we decided we needed to enlist someone as "Official Sneaker" of the Marauders."

"The Marauders? You've already given yourselves a name?" It seemed strange that they had so soon.

"Yeah!" he beamed, "Isn't it awesome?"

"I guess so..." I said, wondering where this was going, "but what's your point?"

"You! You're perfect! Sneaky, agile, able to fit through small areas, and...well...extremely quiet unless you want to be heard. Like a cat."

"You want me?" I laughed, knowing this had to be a cruel joke.

"Yeah, but I haven't talked it over with the rest of the Marauders yet, so don't get too excited."

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that." I stood up and went back to where Lilly was sitting, shaking my head the whole way.

"What was that about?" Lilly asked, and I know she thought that we were flirting.

"Nothing."


	19. Chapter 19

Lily bugged me the whole next day about Sirius and I's conversation the night before. She kept going on and on about how we'd make such a cute couple, and how romantic we were, and how cute he was. By the end of the day, I was ready to ring her neck.

Somehow, I managed to make it through Potions, even though it had the flakiest professor of all time. Her name was Professor Bridgewater and half the time she was talking to herself, or talking to no one at all. She was really strange, and I was a little worried for her.

Flying was horrifying. When we arrived, there were two rows of beat-up old brooms and we were told to each stand next to one. Then we had to command them into our hands by saying "up" which didn't work for me at all, so I just bent over and picked it up. Then we had to straddle it, and on the coach's whistle, just simply fly into the air. I was so terrified, but Lily tackled this with complete confidence and was really good too. I couldn't even get off the ground.

Herbology was, well, interesting I guess. Professor Aldwine (the professor) just talked about the different kinds of magical soil. It was actually kind of cool. Certain soils gave off certain magical qualities, smells, or colors. Like I said, it was interesting.

History of Magic turned out to be the most boring subject ever. Professor Binns was a ghost, who floated into the classroom through the chalkboard, and just started droning on and on about goblin wars, warlock organization things, and other equally boring stuff. It was even impossible for me to try to focus, but about fifteen minutes into class, I felt a folded piece of parchment hit the back of my head. I bent over to pick it up, and opened it, not bothering to be quiet. It read:

**You're In!**

I picked up my quill and wrote:

_What in the world do you mean?_

I looked behind me to see who had passed it and saw Sirius grinning like a mad man. I tossed it to him and waited for a response.

**You're in the Marauders. But James and Peter don't want to give you credit, like on official papers or anything.**

_Then why should I do it?_

**Because I'm your friend?**

_Well, maybe I don't want credit anyway. Then I won't get in trouble if you guys get caught doing anything stupid. What am I supposed to do anyway?_

**Help us find secret passages, stake out crime scenes and the like.**

_I guess I can accept that._

**Then you'll do it?**

_Well…_

**Come on, please!**

_Fine._

**Thanks a lot!**

_Whatever._


	20. Chapter 20

**TeenTypist- **Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews, they're so encouraging, and they have some great questions and thoughts in them. And Lily, Petunia, and Laurel's dad was an Unspeakable.

**Fox of Midnight**- Thanks for all of your very nice thoughts and wonderings about my story :)

**Meriwether Weslar**- I'm glad my story has somewhat inspired you!

**Puss No Boots-** Your lighthearted reviews really lifted my spirits!

**Chocolate Monkey-** Sorry about the length of my chapters, I try to make them long, but it usually doesn't happen that way. I'll work on it :)

**boredanddelirious**- Thank you!

**Naoko-san-** Thanks and cool name!

**Tania-** You really inspired me to right this chapter with your wonderful constructive criticism. I'll try to watch the typos!

Luckily, the next morning I got up earlier than the rest of the girls in the dormitory. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and then got out of bed to put my clothes on. On top of the nightstand next to my bed was a folded piece of parchment. I picked it up and opened it. There, in Sirius's messy handwriting was an "official note" from the Marauders.

"Your first assignment: Find out where the kitchens are. Burn this message once task is understood.

-The Marauders"

I laughed at their cheesy "official note" that they had dreamed up. It was so tacky that I just couldn't help myself. I tossed it into the furnace like instructed and finished getting dressed and primped up. While I was, I thought how lucky I was that I was the first girl up. If Lily had seen it, she'd never let me forget it and I'd have to endure another day of her pestering. I also tried to figure out how I was going to go about finding the kitchens. Sure, there had to be some kind of place where they cooked all of the food that they served up here, but where was it? How would I find out? I definitely wasn't going to scour the whole castle for some tiny secret entrance, that would take years. Where could I find a map or something of the castle?

A library of course! What in the world was I thinking? There are millions of books in a library, atlases, informational readings, and probably a book I could pick up for reading on my own time. I looked at the clock on my nightstand, and learned that I had some time to spare to run to the library, which Molly Turner told me was on the fourth floor. I slung my bag over my shoulder with my books in it, and headed towards the library.

As Molly said, it was on the fourth floor and I found it straight away. When I walked in, there was a thin, irritable, and vulture-like lady staring daggers at me.

"What are _you_ doing here so early in the morning?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well, umm, I was just looking for a book with a map of Hogwarts in it. I'm new, so I get lost a lot." I murmured, rather nervously.

"Hmm, a smart one you are. Most first years just bumble around the castle like idiots. Follow me." With that, she turned on her heel and stalked off to a shelf on the right side of the room, in the very middle. I quickly followed her, silently admiring all of the shelves and shelves of books of every color, shape, and size you could imagine.

She stopped abruptly, about three fourths of the way down the aisle and plucked a book off the shelf.

"This one is good if you're only want maps." She flipped through it to show me, and I saw pages on pages of maps and handed it to me, grabbing another book. "This one can tell you a lot more about Hogwarts. Famous students, classes, and there are plenty of maps to go along with it." She handed the second one to me and went to pick out another book.

"Hold on!" I interrupted, "This one is fine, thank you." And I held up the first book.

"Alright then, saved me a lot of time. Come this way and I'll check it out for you." She clicked off in her tottering heels to a desk in the middle of the library. She had me sign the card in it, then stamped it and sent me on my way.

I flipped through it on my way to breakfast, knowing I'd have time to look at it later. Before I got there, I stealthily slipped into my bag and sat down next to Lily at the Gryffindor table.

"Where were you?" Lily asked with a tone of skepticism.

"I went to the library, to look for a book to read."

She gave me a look that said that she didn't believe me.

"Seriously, Lil, I did. It's on the fourth floor, and there was a snooty librarian, but who was a good help. I didn't get anything though." That little white lie at the end gave me a pang in the chest, but it was my only hope of keeping the Marauders (and my involvment with them) secret.

"Who told you it was on the fourth floor?"

"I did!" came Molly's voice as she sat down across from us.

This must have seemed a reasonable thing to be taking up my time, because she left me alone about it.

Right after Defense Against the Dark Arts we had lunch and a fifteen-minute break thing. Lily and I had ran out into the courtyard where it seemed the rest of the students had decided to pass their time. We sat down on a bench, and Tina came rushing up to us, babbling about someone's pet snake.

"Do you want to see it?" Tina asked us flippantly.

"Sure!" Lilly popped off of the bench, and looked quizzically behind her when I didn't do the same. "Aren't you coming?"

"No, I think I'll just hang around out here and do some people watching. I don't like snakes that much anyway." This was a partly true statement. I really _didn't_ like snakes but I mainly just wanted to do some researching in the book I got from the library.

Once they were gone, I plucked the book from my messenger bag and flipped to the index in the back. I hurriedly looked under 'K' and found 'Kitchens' with ease. I flipped to page 243, which was the first page it was listed on. It showed the entrance way, the great on hall, and the marble staircase. On wither side of the marble staircase, there were two other staircases. One that I knew led to the dungeons, and another that led to the Hufflepuff common room, and alas, the kitchens.

Unfortunately,it didn't show that corridor on this map. Instead, underneath the words 'Hufflepuff Common Room' and 'Kitchens' was the words 'See page 319' in parentheses. I flipped to page 319 and saw the corridor. At the very end was the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room and somewhere around the middle was a little box marked, 'Painting of Fruit Bowl'. Beneath that were some very tiny words that said, 'Tickle the Pear'.

Right as I was saying this out loud to myself, Sirius bounded up and clunked onto the bench right next to me.

"So, have you found the kitchens yet, o sneaky one?" He asked, beaming all the while.

"Yes I have actually. Are you ready to see them?"

He looked a little stunned at this announcement. "Yeah…sure."

"Alright, follow me." I got up and trudged towards the castle, Sirius at my heels. We walked through the corridor, into the Entrance Hall, and down the stairs on the side of the Marble staircase, to the painting of the bowl of fruit.

We stood there, and I reached up to tickle the pear. I did, and it giggled softly. A doorknob appeared and as I twisted it open, the pear opened up just like a door. I climbed up inside and got a big surprise.


	21. Chapter 21

There were tens, maybe hundreds of tiny little creatures with big, bat-like ears and tennis ball sized eyes scurrying around a large room with high ceilings. There was a large fireplace at one end and pots and pans stacked about the walls. As Sirius stepped in after me, the creatures all became silent and simultaneously turned their heads towards us. All at once, about half of them scuttled away, revealing exact replicas of the four house tables right above. The other half came rushing to us.

"Mister and Miss!" One of the creatures said at the very front of the crowd. "What can we be getting you?"

"Be getting us?" I asked unsurely.

I heard Sirius mutter, "Perfect." Under his breath as the other half came back carrying plates of food and drink. Sirius opened his mouth to give the little creature a reply, but I beat him.

"Nothing." Sirius looked at me like I was crazy, but I kept going. "Not to be rude or anything, but what are you?"

"We're house elves miss! I is Savvy, head house elf."

"It's nice to meet you Savvy. What exactly do you do around here?"

"Just about everything, miss. We cook, clean, douse the fires, do laundry, or anything else Miss might want."

"And you do it all by yourselves?"

"Yes miss."

"Wow."

"But we is very humble creatures. Never be bragging about any of it."

This made me smile. Sirius was just shaking his head, obviously thinking of what he would be doing if I weren't here. "Alright then, I guess we'll see you later. Bye!"

"Bye!" the large crowd of house elves called back, then getting back to their work.

We walked down the corridor in silence. Once we got to the Entrance Hall we headed towards the next class, visions of house elves floating in our heads.

(A/N: Short chapter I know, but I think it's the perfect length to get my point across.)


End file.
